The Broncho Rider Boys on the Wyoming Trail Part 20

"Oh! I'm not hankering after trouble," replied the other lad, carelessly; "but if they want to hang around here trying to rob Adrian of his property, why, there's going to be something doing, that's right.

Times have changed some since the real owner came to Bar-S Ranch. Uncle Fred may have been forced to knuckle down to his wife when some of her folks dropped in to pay a friendly visit, and a bunch of valuable steers followed them off; but we ain't meaning to do the same. And if anybody thinks so they're got another guess coming, that's all."

"Would you really and truly shoot, if they did try that same," asked Billie.

Donald gave a little harsh laugh; he shut his jaws firmly together, and nodded his head in the affirmative.

"Wait and see, Billie," was what he said; "and I'm just as dead sure too, that you'd puncture a rustler in the leg or the shoulder if you got the chance, as that I can eat my share of the grub when the call comes to get busy."

"Whew! this sounds like real war, I think!" Billie ventured.

"It _is_ war, and war to the knife, until the last rustler is chased out of this part of the country," Adrian told him, sternly.

Billie looked out toward the spot where that little cloud of dust was seen.

"They've stopped now," he observed; "and since the dust has cleared away you can see quite a bunch of riders sitting there in their saddles.

Seems like they might be talking it over, and laying plans."

"It promises to be a warm night, unless all signs fail," remarked Donald, with a significant nod out in the direction where they could see the distant figures of a good many riders.

"Come along with me, fellows," Adrian said just then.

"Where you agoing, Ad?" queried Billie, who seemed to be possessed of a sudden suspicion that the other might have some wild scheme in view such as riding out toward the rustlers, as if to brave them; "it's nigh supper time, you must remember, and then besides, I've got a skinned knee, so that riding don't appeal as much to me as it might."

"Oh! I didn't want you to jump on your cayuse, Billie," laughed the other; "but as it promises to be a pretty lively night for us, I thought we'd only be wise if we walked around the corrals again, so's to get the lay of the ground in our heads. A little knowledge like that comes in handy when you want to move around after dark sets in; and if you look above you'll see the clouds are gathering, which I take it means we're going to have little light to work by from up there."

"Reckon now I might toddle along after you fellows," Billie admitted; "leastways I'll do the best I can. Didn't tell you how I come by that same bruised knee, did I? Well, it's a joke-that is, seems like one to me now, but at the time let me say I was the worst scared fellow you ever knew."

"Suppose you tell us about it?" proposed Adrian.

"Yes, strike up right away," added the other chum.

Of course after that Billie could have no excuse for holding back the harrowing details. To tell the truth he was just wild to relate the adventure; and as he chanced to be a pretty good talker, as has been said before, he made the most out of the material he had in hand.

Both the others laughed heartily when they heard how shrewd old Uncle Fred made a stalking horse out of their stout chum.

"It's a lucky thing for you, I guess, Billie," ventured Adrian, "that my aunt arrived just a second or so too late to get her hands in your hair.

From what I've heard about her ways of doing things first, and then asking questions afterwards, you might have had less combing to do mornings. But I'm glad Uncle got his gun, because it looks like he might find a good use for the same soon, and perhaps try it out on some of his new brothers-in-law-or other relatives."

"Between you and me," added Donald, "I just think he's itching for that time to happen along. You see, he's borne so much this last year that the worm is ready to turn at last."

They made a complete circuit of the cattle corrals, and saw that everything seemed secure.

"They don't fancy being shut up one little bit," remarked Donald, as some of the steers brushed up against the side of the pen, as though trying to test the stoutness of the enclosure.

"No," added Adrian, "and if only one old fellow would make a dead set for the weakest place, and tear some sort of a gap, you'd soon see how fast the others'd pile after him; and before you knew it the whole herd'd be making for the pasture-land again. But we're going to keep circling around all night, and have fires burning too, Uncle Fred says; because when the cattle see the light they'll feel easier, thinking that we're on deck."

"How do you reckon your uncle means us to stand guard out here?" asked Donald, as he peered through at the dense ma.s.s of long-horns herded in the big corral.

"There's only one way we could do it," was the reply; "which is to keep moving around, so that there'd be no chance for the enemy to sneak up and stampede the cattle."

Presently the call to supper came, and the three boys, being hungry, hastened to the mess room, where, at the long table, they found an abundance of "chuck," as the punchers denominate their food.

Billie actually forgot to limp, in his hurry to keep up with his chums, so that he might not be left out when it came to securing a seat; because he was always ready to do justice to such a spread as Charley Moo placed before the crowd.

Fortunately Mrs. Fred did not see fit to make her appearance, so that the meal pa.s.sed off without any unpleasantness. The five suspects seemed to be on their best behavior, as though they rather fancied they would get in trouble if they attempted to be in any way domineering in their manner toward the others.

By the time the supper was over night had fallen, and it was dark indeed when Adrian and Donald walked out to find Mr. Comstock, in order to learn whether anything new had taken place meanwhile.

They found him pacing up and down near the big corral, and acting as though he had a heavy weight on his shoulders; as indeed was the case, for as yet it was an open question whether those who intended to defend the stock would be able to prevent the bold rustlers from running away with a large portion of the cattle.

"No signs of Frank Bowker turning up yet, I suppose, Uncle Fred?" Adrian asked, as they joined the little man with the white head of hair and the soldierly ways.

"Sorry to say not, son," came the answer; "but then I'm not so much surprised at that, because I told Frank to stand by, and give the new sheriff all the a.s.sistance in his power when he started to gathering his posse. So chances are, we wouldn't be apt to see the boy till the whole bunch came along."

"I wish they'd hurry, then," Adrian continued.

"Same here," added Donald; "because, the way things look we'll prove too few to do the right thing about watching these corrals. If all the punchers could be depended on it'd be different, you see."

"Yes, you're right there, Donald," Adrian said; "for it would give us five more men. As it is now we are not only short that number, but they are apt to try and join the rustler bunch when they come along."

"Too bad," the Arizona ranch boy remarked. "If you'd only known how things lay up here you could have picked up a dozen reliable punchers, and brought the same along with us. But let's hope that before there's any real damage done that sheriff'll show up, and prove it to be of the right calibre to handle the situation."

"Amen to that, son!" added Uncle Fred, heartily.

"I wonder where Billie can be?" Adrian remarked some time later, as he suddenly remembered that he had not seen anything of the stout chum since they left the mess hall, with Billie sending along his platter for a _fourth_ helping of stew.

"Foundered, I reckon," chuckled Donald; "after those three big helps, the nerve of him asking Charley Moo for more. But the c.h.i.n.k seemed to feel that it was a compliment on his cooking to have any one gobble that way; and he was grinning all over as he hurried off to get a fresh supply. I believe he'd even hand over his own ration, because he has taken such a great fancy for our chum."

"Well, Billie is a great one for making friends wherever he goes!"

remarked Adrian, warmly.

"Listen, what was that sound like a hiss just then? You don't think for a minute it could be any sort of snake, do you, Ad?"

"There it goes again; and as sure as you live I believe some one's trying to attract our attention back here in the gloom away from the fires. Looks like our chum Billie, too; yes, that's who it is, Donald."

"But whatever can he want with us; and why should he act in that queer way, as if he was afraid to come boldly up here, and talk with us?" the other said.

"Best way to find that out is for one or both of us to step out there, and interview him," suggested Adrian; and acting on this hint both of them walked away from the glow of the fire near which they had been standing, heading toward the spot where the bulky figure of Billie could be dimly seen, making his mysterious motions.

CHAPTER XXIV.

TREACHERY.

"Now, what's this all mean, Billie?" demanded Adrian, when they had joined the fat chum, where the shadows were dense enough to fairly conceal them from the view of any keen eyes nearer the fires.